James Spann has the Alabama forecast to end 2019 and begin 2020 from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

BRIGHTER, COOLER DAY: Following rain and thunderstorms last night, cooler, drier air returns to Alabama today. We expect a good supply of sunshine with a high in the 55- to 59-degree range over the northern half of the state; the average high at Birmingham for Dec. 30 is 54. The weather will stay cool and dry Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s.

RAIN RETURNS: Clouds will increase Wednesday night, and rain will become widespread across Alabama Thursday ahead of a long-wave upper trough. With very good dynamic forcing, rain could be heavy at times through Thursday night; amounts of 2-3 inches are likely over the northern half of the state, with 1-2 inches for the southern counties. For now it looks like the air will be cool and stable; severe storms are not expected. Rain should end early in the day Friday; most of the daytime should be rain-free as a dry slot moves into the state. Clouds will most likely linger Friday, although we could see some sun at times.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday will be a cool, dry day with a partly sunny sky. After a low in the 30s, the high will be in the mid 50s. Then, on Sunday, expect sunshine in full supply with a morning low near freezing and a high back in the mid 50s.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND: For now, a decent part of next week looks dry with seasonal temperatures. There’s no sign of any winter weather mischief for Alabama over the next 10 days.

RAIN TOTALS: Here are some rain totals from yesterday and last night across Alabama:

• Arley — 1.86 inches
• Coker — 0.93
• Morris — 0.93
• Northport — 0.79
• Crestwood — 0.45
• Grayson Valley — 0.45
• Mountain Brook — 0.43
• Weaver — 0.34

As expected, there were very few severe weather reports from the system last night, although there was some scattered wind damage across the Tennessee Valley.

RAIN FOR 2019: Birmingham’s rain total for the year should wind up at 52.55 inches, which is almost right at our 12-month average. The deficiency is only 0.91 of an inch. One of the wettest spots in the state for 2019 is Tuscaloosa; the total there for the year is 61.62 inches, a surplus of 9.27 inches.

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